My FRiends, we might as well face the reality that we the combined pro-life conservative movement and tea party coalition have lost this round (the presidential election) in the larger battle to reclaim our constitution and our inalienable rights. Rove, Romney and the GOP-e have successfully destroyed and driven off each and every pro-life conservative tea party candidate from the race and all have surrendered to the Romney camp. It is no secret that Romney is not one of us. There is absolutely no doubt that he has never accomplished a single conservative thing in his entire political career (one term as liberal governor of liberal Massachusetts and six years campaigning for president). In Massachusetts, he undeniably championed abortion, gay rights, global warming, gun control, big government statist mandated/socialized health care programs, liberal judges, TARP, bailouts, stimulus spending, debt limit increases, etc, and even though he's recently claimed a complete reversal in political beliefs and no longer despises pro-life conservatives or the time of Reagan-Bush, I still don't trust him. He still stubbornly holds on to some of his statist beliefs, like global warming, gays in the military, RomneyCare, stimulus spending, etc, so there is no way I can vote for him or join Cain, Perry, Bachmann, Newt or any others who are endorsing him. But I will not act on my prior promises that I would actively campaign against him if he wins the nomination. Our combined movement is already torn and splintered and is going to have to be mended if we're going to have any impact whatsoever against the liberal/progressives and statists after the election. To that end I propose a TRUCE among our conservative forces during the remainder of this election cycle.

We conservatives have already lost the presidency to either the Dems or the GOP-e, and if we tear the tea party apart, if we tear the pro-life movement apart, if we tear FR apart then we lose it all. It's far more important that we re-unite and live to fight another day. Even if we can't vote for a true conservative for the presidency, it's doubly important that we all turn out on election day or sooner and drag our friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, etc, to the polls to vote straight conservative for every slot on our ballots. The only way we can win our freedom back is to vote out the liberal progressives and vote in as many liberty loving conservatives as is humanly possible into every elected office at every level of government all across this great land. To prevent a total loss to the dems or GOP-e, we must continue the tea party rebellion into November and beyond. Whatever else you may do, you must turn out and vote straight tea party conservative down ticket!!

We must continue expanding our inroads into the state houses and into every elective office in the land. We must continue building on our majority in the house and we must retake the senate!! We must help the conservative governors and state legislatures to fully restore the ninth and tenth amendments and reclaim the real political power away from the federal usurpers and return it to the states and the people per the constitution!! This way, regardless of who wins the presidency, we can cut his unconstitutional expansionist movements off at the knees. And if any executive, civil officer or judge dares commit impeachable offenses, we must hold the majorities so we can impeach and remove them from office!!

And we must salvage and rebuild and continue strengthening our conservative pro-life, pro-family, pro-gun, pro-borders, pro-constitution, pro-small government, pro-defense, pro-liberty movements and our tea party coalition. And we must stop ripping each other apart!!

Therefore I hereby propose a general truce among our conservative forces!!

The Republic we save may be our own!!

As far as FR's finances go, we're in the same boat as the rest of the economy and will have to make do with what we can raise. Fortunately, the big debts we ran up a couple years ago have been paid off. We borrowed approx $20,000 a few years ago from two FReepers to fund our national convention, plus we ran up another $20,000 in legal fees during the last couple of years fighting off Righthaven. But those are now behind us and paid off. We also did quite a bit of traveling each year for the last three years on cross country tea party tours, but I think we can now cut that back and remove it from our budget requirements. If we're fortunate enough to not incur any additional legal costs or equipment costs (other than what we've already planned), and cut the travel and a few other areas, we should be able to tighten our belts enough to weather the storm even if we fail to reach our short term fundraising goals.

Whatever the outcome of the elections, we are prepared to roar into 2013 with the tea party chewing up liberal/progressives and RINOs and raising hell in our never ending fight for liberty!!

“The place to move the party is in primaries; the presidential primary is over,”
“Actually, it’s not.”

I havent voted yet either, our primary is late May, but, yes, the presidential primary was over the moment Santorum withdrew from the race. Nothing new for me - my presidential primary vote have never ‘counted’. Sure we will vote later, but the conclusion is fore-ordained now that Santorum and Newt are endorsing Romney. That’s a majority of delegates right there.

Your idea is a good one, but what you describe is pretty much the conventions as they used to occur. We formally still vote for delegates not candidates, its just they are tied to candidates and since 1956 every candidate won on the first ballot. Perhaps if we had a national primary day, it would work better, but I suspect that would only help the ‘media’ candidates and I’m not sure it would end up the way you think it would. On the flipside, the primary system does a better job in preparing candidates for a general election campaign.

I’ll assist the GOP one last time, only because the evil that is Obama and his Administration have to be booted from DC once and for all.

But I will tell you this—it is time for a new political party that is Conservative in its tenets. The GOP has co-opted us for the last time.

It is time for the GOP to go the way of the Whigs.

Those who have been in Congress for the last 20 years—many of them have committed treason in my mind for squandering our financial, cultural and military might. In addition to defeating Obama, this country is facing a financial meltdown the likes of which we have never seen.

Only a Conservative party will have the answers that will make America great again.

1,403
posted on 05/06/2012 1:21:04 PM PDT
by exit82
(Democrats are the enemies of freedom. Be Andrew Breitbart.)

i still think all we have to do is extirpate one small minority faction from the coalition ~ and that can be done without a whole lot of effort once we destroy the major broadcast networks and print media ~

In 2008 in South Carolina I voted in the primaries for Romney. At that time I thought him better than McCain. I still do. And I ended up voting for McCain after he and Huck pulled a fast one to get Romney out of the running.

I voted for Gingrich in 12 despite a lot of misgivings about the guy. And I donated to Santorum later despite my conviction that he could not keep running for long.

I simply do not think we had any strong, reliable, steady conservatives in this race.

Having expended so much passion over the years railing against McCain, and then ending up voting for him, I learned a hard lesson and didn't waste a lot of passion being angry over how Romney was forced on us as the RINO answer to Obama. It's like being extorted--"Vote for my loser or get Obama"--and I can't say I like it, but it is what it is.

But being a grownup and being a believer in Original Sin and a disbeliever in the perfectability of mankind, I'm still going forward and will support the GOP candidate...until he gets into office

...and there, Jim, I think is when the power will shift from the smug Kristols and Roves and right back into the tea party.

I wish we hadn't been so generous to Bush. He might not have taken his base so for granted and tried to get Laura her heart's desire...that invitation to Hyannis Port that never came.

We can vote for Romney and not love him. We can vote for him and not owe him a **& thing. We can watch every move he makes and work on stocking more and more conservatives in the House, Senate and eventually all the state houses.

Which is why I'm not wasting energy being angry.

After all, Lindsey Graham is up for reelection in 2014...LOL

I honestly think Romney is better than McCain, and I voted for McCain. Nobody I really wanted, except maybe Cain, would run.

And there are a lot of shills on FR running around trying to tell us to stay home this election to worry about.

Me too. We are prepared for the worst, and heaven bound no matter what. I love America. It will hurt to see her sit in God’s judgement, but it is not our place to question God. I remember Ninevah and hope America will be like that. But when you hear Christians justify a vote for an abortion supporting candidate with the words, “It doesn’t matter. People who want an abortion are going to get one,” you realize how out of touch with God people really are.

Just one, and easy to find because of the join date. Most of the ones who seem to post from talking points (seminar caller speak) have very early join dates, which makes me wonder if they've somehow appropriated an account from a departed freeper.

Given the big bucks that Media Matters has, and the sneaky tactics they employ, I don't know why the thought that they would hire writers to make it look as if conservatives are despairing over the disappointment of Romney's grab of the nom always gets me the accusation of "paranoia"--it just seems smart politics for liberals.

So I do believe we have shills, and will see more of them.

If Romney gets into office, and if he wants any role of significance once he gets there--he will need conservatives. I don't believe that he can form any kind of common cause with liberals because they are so mad with hate they can't even get a budget passed with a Dem majority in house and senate--why would they make a deal with Romney?

I want to thank Jim Robinson, first for creating and sustaining Free Republic all these years. Next, thank you for this truce which was needed to preserve the community here.

As soon as I saw the truce, I asked Jim R to allow me to rescind my opus. I’m glad to be back and hope that many will now return to supporting Free Republic. It’s time to come together and definitely time to defeat Obama.

This post is, imho, a very sensible and welcome answer to prayer . . . and very essential practically.

I still believe that the Marxist globalist oligarchy has rendered the vote counting to be a very corrupt, manipulated charade, farce of a process that does not alter what the oligarchy has already decided about who they will place in office a bit.

However, I still believe we are responsible before God to vote as wisely and prayerfully as we can.

And, I encourage foks to pray earnestly as I still believe that prayer does more to save or protect what shreds of our Republic and Constitution are left than does voting.

I don’t think fantasies about political solutions to the engineered desturction and chaos we are increasingly rushing into . . . help prevent such at all. I think we have to deal in realities. I appreciate your post as it appears to be a greatly more realistic perspective on the political realities currently operating in our besieged Republic.

The Marxist globalists are determined to shred the Rpublic to ashes to enable the overt establishment of their global government on top of those ashes to be all the easier.

The U.S. Senate fully supports those goals with very few exceptions. The House leadership, ditto.

Changing any of that will take tons of prayer and whatever actions God would direct. I don’t expect to see much progress, if any, until after Armageddon, personally. Nevertheless, I believe we must do what we can and that as unto The Lord.

Assuming Romney becomes the (R) nominee, he will need to coalesce the base. He must do this convincingly for conservatives and Tea Party to get on board full throttle, not just halfheartedly.

How many of us were enthusiastic about Reagan in 1980 but thought the "Rockefeller Wing" was going to sabotage our chances when he selected GHWBush as his VP? How many of us were somewhat enthusiastic about Quayle, but not so much about GHWBush in 1988? How many of us were enthusiastic about Kemp, not so enthusiastic about Dole in 1996? How many of us were only cautiously supportive of GWBush in 2000, but roared when we learned he'd selected Cheney as his VP?

How does Romney get us ALL on board? Here's a suggestion:

Run not only with your VP but with your proposed cabinet as well.

Conservatives sometimes have to be reminded that a President is not king. He can't get anything done by dictate. Above all, he must be a quarterback for the team. While a quarterback may sometimes run a ball in to the end zone himself, more often than not he strategically uses the talents of his team mates to move the ball down the field and bring about the win.

Did anyone hear Palin the other night (4/12/2012) on Hannity when asked if she'd consider being Sec'y of Energy? Did you watch her show the following night in place of Greta? Did anyone hear our own FReeper Allen West when interviewed on Hannity (4/11/2012) and asked whether he'd consider being Romney's VP? And BOTH essentially said YES!

Newt has effectively conceded. Are any of these folks any less conservative for facing what are becoming our realities this election cycle?

I have proposed cabinet and administration roles for persons who were Romney's rivals at some point. These are the skill sets we conservatives wanted applied to the places of government where they'd be most effective. Instead of rivals let's make them team players:

I was a Perry guy. Keep him as Governor of Texas. He's doing fine right where he is.

Next: Most of these folks are honed primed and stoked from the recent primary debates. They're all sharp. Nationalize the cabinet selection process as much as the Presidential and Congressional elections.

Release every one of these folks back out onto the campaign trail with an assignment: tackle in an "in your face" way each of these departments - stage a kick-off news conference in front of each one of them in DC. Challenge the office holders to the equivalent of Lincoln-Douglas style debates allowing each Obama appointed office member to defend their record and their (mis)-management of their public trust.

They won't debate, you say? OK, try some new Rules for Conservative Radicals. Stalk them, dog them with cameras, "Breitbart" them, shame them into the arena, watch the cowards avoid the heat, watch for and exploit their mis-steps, create and run ads based on their failures in office and refusal to be made accountable.

While this is distracting the DNCs resources, Romney can land his own punches on Obama in the same way he's managed to blow away all his opposition in the primaries. Use Romney's well funded strike teams to confound opposition at the grass roots, do what they can to discourage and depress Democratic opposition and their voters.

Face it: if Romney was able to take out his competitors in the primary don't you suppose Obama's hacks could have taken anyone of them out in the general?

Have Romney's boys sew the seeds of hopelessness and dissension in the Obama ranks, cut 'em off at the knees, emphasize betrayal and failure of Obama to keep 2008 promises. Undermine, destroy and confound the opposition into a confused, ill-directed mass. They'll find themselves fighting on more than one Alinskyized, freeze-the-target candidate -- not just a single Presidential candidate, and instead they'll be spending their resources fighting 15+ personalities "running" for cabinet offices AND the Presidency!

Who are the DNCs "generals" they have to call into a fight like that?

Instead of dividing us with all the endless sniping, let's quit doing the DNC's work for them and work on dividing THEM for a change!

Romney and Netanyahu both began strategic business careers at Boston Consulting Group. Agree with them or disagree with them, but admit that they are patient, long range, strategic thinkers.

One of the things Romney has been able to do in large part is to keep his persona distanced from the decisively well-calculated positioning of opposition to rivals in the primaries. His name-less, face-less cloaked "hit-men" are as effective as any guerrilla force out there, but all that activity is maintained at a plausibly deniable, comfortable, arms-length distance from Romney the candidate. I dare say it puts the likes of Nixon's and Clinton's "opposition research" squads to shame.

Sorry George. Enough of the "kinder-gentler" crap. Tight formations, and "gentlemen's wars" provided the fixed targets that let us destroy the British in our War of Independence.

I can see that machine going to work on Obama and leaving more than just a few lumps. Let's turn the "talents" of Romney's henchmen on to Obama, keep them disciplined, focused, and this side of doing any thing "Watergate," and let them go for the DNC's jugular.

If Romney is what we've got to work with this time around let's face that fact head on and let's hold his feet to the fire and make our will known as conservatives. If he's smart he'll seek our trust, and appoint many of our cabinet choices. To secure our trust he's going to have to both earn it and maintain it.

Romney will go a long and convincing way to doing that by arming, deputizing, and funding the campaign efforts of his "cabinet-in-waiting."

Yes Bolton has already endorsed Romney long ago. Now it is up to Romney to openly declare that Bolton will be his Sec'y of State nominee and send Bolton out there and challenge Clinton to debate him directly.

Shame the bitch if she refuses. Dog her events. Stalk with cameras, embarass her with her litany of failures. You get the picture.

Now do that 15x over with 15 different "candidates" -- all Tea Party just as I suggested -- and you have my plan of attack in action.

The idea is to get Newt to work on dismantling the Dept of Education, dis-emboweling/decertifying teachers unions, ripping out Federal Education subsidies including college loans, FAFSA reporting requirements, student + faculty racial balance quota reporting, and devolving all primary and high school education oversight exclusively back to the states.

I think he'd be up to that task and a host of other related stuff I haven't even mentioned.

“That’s the worst-case scenario, it attributes God-like powers to Obama”

Obama has Presidential powers, a compliant media that ignores his unconstitutional acts, and Nixonian grasp on power. And a second term mean no re-election worries. Not god-like, but it’s enough.

I am a conservative before I am a Republican, but a practical one; you dont have to be some GOP-E shill to recognize who you can get something out of and who will be just plain horrible. If I was in Mass, I’d be a Scott Brown supporter over that Obama/leftie Elizabeth “Fauxcohontas” Warren. Does that mean I am a gop shill or liberal for supporting a guy whose latest stunt is a silly Post Office bailout? Nope. I just prefer a 70% good guy to a 0%.

I did not support and vote for Romney in 08, but felt he’d at least have been better than McCain. I am in some ways aghast that we nominated the Romney-care guy in a year where Obamacare is #1 thing to overturn, but in other ways complaining about it misses the real point: Romney(*) will sign repeal of Obamacare. Obama wont. That’s your 70% to 0% right there.
(*) He only said it about 50 times in the debates, but some people dont believe a word he says. I cant help those folks, they’ll just have to believe it when it happens.

All the whining about Romney being as bad as Obama is bunk, and even the freepers saying it should know it. the only way this is concluded is by ignoring most of Mitt Romney’s real life, real positions and real approach. He’s the first potential president since Reagan to have spent most of his life in the private sector, and an objective review will show his agenda is more conservative than GWB’s “compassionate (aka BigGubmint) conservative” 2000 agenda, and his record not as liberal as FR hyperbole claims. But no point arguing with those who insist they have all the answers.

We can be purist and refuse to accept 70%, we can pretend it’s not 70% but some other number ... but at the end of the day, if you want conservative ideas to win, it would be crazy to assume that ‘Obama re-elected => conservative ideas win’ is a legit conclusion.

Actually, just as FDR solidifying the New Deal was a death blow to American governance that existed prior to FDR, Obama’s re-election is the hinge on which our future depends. One path - Euro-socialism - is the inevitable result of obama’s re-election. Why? because the Dems know that once they create a clientele for their programs, its easy to keep them and hard to repeal them - THAT IS WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN COUNTING ON ALL ALONG. They know it would hurt politically to go far left, but Pelosi and Obama didnt care, they are that extreme. The ONLY way to stop them is complete and utter fumigation.

The other path - Romney’s win - will be a rejection of same, seen as such, and will lead to ‘renormalization’ of politics around a smaller govt role.

“Frankly, I think we have a much better chance of successfully fighting off socialized medicine and higher taxes with Obama in office by a plurality fluke and a clear, documented majority opposed”

Really?!? You should know better. THINK about it. We got that rejection in 2010. A whole GOP House. How much of Obamacare was dismantled in 2011? How much defunded? NONE OF IT!!! Obama re-elected = socialized medicine is here to stay, that is his legacy and you will need a crowbar to take it out. Even a GOP House didnt have the balls to cut off funding or go to the mat with a shutdown. And if Obama wins we will probably have a Dem senate with him anyway. So that means Obamacare repeal is toast.

“Romney in office means a Republican power elite telling conservative Republicans: “Look, the only reason the GOP even has the White House is because of us ‘moderates,’ so sit down and shut up.”

To which we answer - “H*LL NO.”
Perhaps what you fail to see is the possibility that you vote for Romney on Tuesday, hope he wins, and if he does, on Wednesday, join the ‘loyal conservative opposition’ to make sure every conservative promise he made was kept, and every liberal tendency is vigorously opposed. We’ll have Congressional allies on the right to be there.

“I dutifully voted for Schwarzenegger”

As Mr T put it: I pity the fool. “where voting “pragmatically” is voting against our own moral and finiancial self-interest.” -— sounds contradictory; then change the algorithm. I cant save Cali.

I appreciate your kind words but what’s funny is that people makes assumptions. I am not as tied up in caring for the GOP-E as you seem to think,
and I know we all will make our own decisions. And for most of us, we dont know what the right answer even if we pretend to.

All I know is this: If the answer is “Let Obama get re-elected” It’s a pretty stupid question!
Obama isn’t Working. Fire him.

“Now if someone could post a How to vote for Romney without throwing up on your ballot it would be appreciated.”

Sure, vote for the lesser of two evils. We stand a much better chance of thwarting a socialist in his first term than a hardcore muslim/communist in his second term!! Besides Mitt at least has had considerable experience and success in business and understands Economics 101.

He DOES NOT understand economics. He's never met a bailout, a subsidy, a welfare program or an entitlement program that he doesn't like. John Corzine was good at business too, for a while, but he didn't understand economics either. There are a whole lot of very liberal businessmen and Romney is one of them.

You're also wrong that we stand a better chance of thwarting Romney than Obama. Our party will stay united to oppose Obama out of sheer political expediency if nothing else. But most of them will absolutely go along with anything Romney wants to do, even if he's proposing the exact same things Obama would have. The hardline Tea Party heroes will oppose him, but there aren't enough of them to block Romney's agenda.

1,432
posted on 05/06/2012 11:57:46 PM PDT
by JediJones
(From the makers of Romney, Bloomberg/Schwarzenegger 2016. Because the GOP can never go too far left.)

Santorum lost because Romney said he spent too much and was for earmarks.
Newt lost because Romney pointed out that he was against capitalism and was associated with Freddie Mac.
Perry lost because Romney pointed out that he was in favor of tuition for illegals.
Moral of the story is we can’t beat RINOs by being more liberal.

Any time, my friend! I have owed you a reply to your last mail for a few days now - sorry for the delay!

Care to put up a thread in religion on your retreat experience? If it was too personal and private, I understand. Left a lot out of the one I posted that had meaning only to me, but it is good for folks to see they can get away and get with God for a while, even now.

Grace comes in many forms. In a lot of ways I think you are lucky - like several other regular posters here. I am one of those who needs formality and ritual so as to keep my eye on God.
My failing. No one elses.

The writing is going OK - a little stuck on one novel and the Bible vs science book that got picked up (the research on that one is huge!)

So sad to see so many good people fall into Bo’s divide the opposition, conquer, and divide to win. If BO wins, there will be zero opportunity for conservatives for decades, if not more, to come. Bo will consolidate power, persecute all opponents, use his media to consolidate message control, and outlaw many of his opponents voices and activities. In short, there won’t be another chance for any conservative.

1,443
posted on 05/07/2012 6:59:59 AM PDT
by Neoliberalnot
(Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed.)

Bo will consolidate power, persecute all opponents, use his media to consolidate message control, and outlaw many of his opponents voices and activities. In short, there wont be another chance for any conservative.

You give Bo way to much credit...that would imply he's actually competent.

1,444
posted on 05/07/2012 7:01:14 AM PDT
by dfwgator
(Don't wake up in a roadside ditch. Get rid of Romney.)

Really, ask how many college graduates have jobs—none are counted in unemployment figures. Ask how he and a gang of faceless bureacrats jacked our personal healthcare? Check the price of gas and food. Check the loss of an estimated 20% of US wealth. Check the jacking of GM and the theft of bondholders funds for union thugs. Check the smear campaign he uses to undermine the US on the world scene. Where have you been?

1,445
posted on 05/07/2012 7:06:38 AM PDT
by Neoliberalnot
(Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed.)

So sad to see so many good people fall into Bos divide the opposition, conquer, and divide to win. If BO wins, there will be zero opportunity for conservatives for decades, if not more, to come. Bo will consolidate power, persecute all opponents, use his media to consolidate message control, and outlaw many of his opponents voices and activities. In short, there wont be another chance for any conservative or even a rino like romney. Look at the example of Newt—he had a huge bounce, then the relentless smear campaign from Bo’s old media destroyed him. Mark my words, there will be NO SECOND CHANCE. Bo will stack the court and what he can’t get away with by exec decree, he will use judicial tyranny to exact his toll on our kids’ futures.

1,446
posted on 05/07/2012 7:12:25 AM PDT
by Neoliberalnot
(Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed.)

I certainly agree with you on this. If Romney would do this, he could actually win with a landslide and have a real mandate. However, I don’t think this will ever happen, since he’s now moving more to the center and away from his false conservatism he espoused during the primary battles.

I think the election results will be close, and if Romney actually wins, he won’t have any kind of mandate and he will govern from the center and follow any which way the wind blows.

I think our only hope is to make Congress more conservative by electing the right conservatives in both houses.

1,447
posted on 05/07/2012 7:17:39 AM PDT
by Real Cynic No More
(OBAMA!!'s name is all caps as sarcasm to indicate a lack of respect, as he does not deserve it)

“Really, ask how many college graduates have jobsnone are counted in unemployment figures. Ask how he and a gang of faceless bureacrats jacked our personal healthcare? Check the price of gas and food. Check the loss of an estimated 20% of US wealth. Check the jacking of GM and the theft of bondholders funds for union thugs. Check the smear campaign he uses to undermine the US on the world scene. Where have you been?”

Exactly. Distaste for Romney, which I understand, makes folks want to think Obama’s incompetent...and at certain things he is. However, he’s been extremely competent at implementing destructive policies and at selecting a group of fellow travelers that continue to help him do so. Those who ridicule concern over another Communist term as “chicken little” thinking are willfully denying the obvious - that he’s very good at his prime objective, for which he’s been groomed his entire life.

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